Interrupted
by Jessie611
Summary: Chloe is safe but it's time for her to grieve for all she has lost. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

He walked through the clinic door, a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. It had been 18 months since he'd seen her. He thought back to the last time they'd been face to face; he'd told her he was leaving, she'd cried but told him she understood. He'd made her promise to call him if ever she needed him. But she never had.

He walked along the cold, stark corridor looking for her room. They'd warned him there wasn't much of the old Chloe left. Bill and Chase had been visiting her regularly but they told him he wouldn't recognise her. What's more she wouldn't recognise him. He had to believe that they were wrong.

He stopped outside of her room and took a deep breath before moving his hand to push open the door.

"You really shouldn't go in alone" said the orderly who had accompanied him.

"Why?"

"She can become aggressive when strangers go in".

"I am not a stranger to her" Jack said with a growl, "we'll be fine."

"Look I really think you shouldn't do this. She hasn't recognised anyone from her old life. The only people familiar to her are those she's gotten to know while she's been here."

"I said we'll be fine" Jack said, nodding dismissively at the young man.

"Suit yourself, just holler if you need anything" he said before moving back to his station.

Jack walked through the door and hesitated as he saw the small figure huddled in the corner of the room, lying on a mattress on the floor. Her hair lay in messy strands across her face, he couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not. His heart lurched in his chest at the sight of her frail body. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top which in no way could hide how much weight she'd lost since he'd last seen her.

He approached the bed slowly at the same time as he whispered her name. She didn't respond to the sound of his voice.

"Chloe?" he whispered again, but still no response.

He eased himself onto the floor next to the mattress, wanting to reach out to her but knowing he risked a potential cataclysmic reaction, they'd told him she hated being touched. Well, the Chloe O'Brian he'd known hated being touched also, except not by him, never by him.

"Chloe, it's me" he said, more loudly than before, "It's Jack."

But still there was nothing. He lifted his fingers towards her, hesitating momentarily in his quest to see her properly for the first time. He sighed as his hand rested on the edge of the mattress, a part of him afraid of what he might see.

Steeling himself, he allowed his fingers to drift back to her. He gently smoothed the hair that was covering her eyes away from her face but he hesitated before looking at her. His eyes drifted back to her face and he looked into the unblinking gaze that was so familiar to him, he saw the almost imperceptible flicker that told him she was still there and he allowed his own eyes to close briefly as he saw a single tear drift down her cheek.

"Chloe" he said softly as he felt the emotion well up in his chest.

00000

_He walked into CTU for what was likely the last time and the one person he dreaded telling was Chloe. He didn't want to leave her but he needed to get away, needed to re-evaluate his life. He was truly free for the first time in many years._

"_Hey" she said as he approached her station._

"_Can I talk to you?"_

"_What do you need?" she asked._

"_Just to talk" he said with a smile at her confused expression. "Come on, walk with me."_

"_Jack, where are we going?" she asked with a scowl as they walked out of CTU._

"_Somewhere we can talk" he said, guiding her by the arm and walking around to the back of the building._

_They entered the small, enclosed garden that everyone seemed to forget was in the grounds, never having the time to spend there would make people forget its existence. Jack pulled her down next to him on the bench under the hanging tree. She looked at him nervously, waiting. _

"_I'm leaving" he said simply._

"_Oh" she said, unable to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes._

"_I'm sorry"._

"_It's okay, I knew it would happen soon" she said, blinking back the tears._

_His fingers brushed the moisture from her cheeks and he smiled softly. "I'm going to miss you Chloe. You're the only thing I'm going to miss."_

_A tiny sob escaped her lips as she threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him. He felt his own tears mix with hers. She needed no explanation, she understood. Chloe O'Brian always understood what he needed. _

_He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I'll find a way to let you know where I am. If you need me . . ." he hesitated, gripping her arms tightly to convey the importance of his request "call me Chloe, please . . . just call me."_

_She nodded simply as she uncurled her arms from around him, accepting that it was time for him to go. He stood, pulling her up with him and they stared at each other for a moment. Then he leaned in and captured her lips with his own. It was gentle, undemanding. Then he was gone._

_Chloe sat back down on the bench and let her tears fall unheeded. _

00000

_The day was bright and full of sunshine. Chloe had left CTU six months before and she was happier than she thought possible. It had been a year since she'd seen him, spoken to him and she missed him, of course she missed him but she had other priorities now. _

_She held the baby to her chest as she opened the car door, adjusting the car seat. Just then she heard the squeal of tires and she straightened, the tingling of fear creeping up her spine. She hadn't even had a chance to turn around as she felt the burning fire hit the centre of her back. She stumbled, her only thought being not to drop the baby. The car drove off as she collapsed to her knees, pulling the baby away from her chest. It was then that she realised her life was over._

_The lifeless form in her arms was the price Chloe O'Brian paid for her work with the government. She'd always known she risked revenge attacks, but to take her baby and spare her? That was the one thing that Chloe O'Brian could not live with. _

00000

He took hold of her hand, running circles across her palm with his thumb. She didn't move, she lay there staring at him, her gaze unblinking.

He wanted to be closer to her so he shifted onto the mattress and lay down beside her. He pulled her against him and while she still didn't respond, she didn't pull away. He saw that as a good sign.

He didn't see the orderly peering in through the glass panel in the door, or the shocked expression on the young man's face. He'd waited at his station, expecting to hear the usual sounds of distress coming from the woman who used to be a government agent. But he had heard none.

Eventually he moved towards the door and was stunned at the sight of the man lying with her on the bed. The man was stroking her hair gently and appeared to be whispering to her. The only response from the woman was when her head, arched away from him initially, eventually dropped to his chest. The young man hurried to report this turn of events to Dr Saunders.

00000

_They'd walked along the waterfront, taking in the sights and sounds of life outside of the city. It had been a spur of the moment thing, they both had a day off and he'd wanted to get away, he'd asked Chloe to come with him and despite her scowl she'd agreed. He didn't even know if they'd had anything in common outside of work, everything their friendship was based on had to do with whichever current crisis they were trying to thwart_.

_He'd made her take off her shoes and feel the sand underfoot. She'd objected, of course she'd objected; she wouldn't be Chloe otherwise. But she'd given in and he knew at that moment in time she was happy. He looked at her dipping her toes in the ocean and he thought it was the first time he'd seen her genuinely happy. And that made him happy. The thought that someone as tainted by his dark world as he, could enjoy something simple as walking barefoot on the beach made Jack Bauer smile._

_They'd had dinner in a small Italian restaurant and Jack had got her to talk about herself, not an easy task but he'd been persistent. She told him things that helped him understand her a bit more, he'd always accepted her but he hadn't always understood her. He talked to her about Teri, about Kim and eventually about Audrey. It had been difficult but she seemed to appreciate why he'd done what he'd done. _

_They'd talked through the night, both surprised when daylight appeared through the cracks in the curtains of Chloe's apartment. Jack hadn't wanted to leave her, hadn't wanted to be alone. She seemed to understand and, not expecting anything from him she told him she was going to sleep and that he was welcome to join her. He'd laughed at the way she'd put it, but he'd gone with her. And he'd slept, better than he had in years, lying in Chloe O'Brian's bed with her wrapped in his arms, her head buried in the crook of his arm. They'd gotten into a rhythm, as friends but oh so much more than that. _

00000

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked softly not expecting or getting a response.

If she had torn his heart out with her bare hands it couldn't have hurt him more. The one thing he'd relied on if he wasn't around to watch over her was that she would call him if ever she'd gotten into trouble.

He pulled her closer to his chest and sighed deeply.

"I'm going to get you out of here Chloe, I promise" he said as her eyes finally drifted shut.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack let himself into the apartment and, dropping the keys on the hall table made his way through to the kitchen.

"Hey, how did it go?" Chase asked.

Jack sighed as he took a beer from the fridge and gulped it thirstily. In truth, he didn't want to share his thoughts with Chase. He knew he shouldn't blame the younger man for being there when he wasn't but he hated that he hadn't had the chance to help Chloe sooner.

"It wouldn't have made a difference Jack" Chase said, his voice calm and measured.

"You don't know that Chase" Jack bit out angrily.

"She was lost to all of us Jack, she hasn't spoken a word since Hope died" Chase said, a hint of frustration edging into his voice. He'd been over this so many times yet he couldn't get through to him.

"We have to get her out of there" Jack said, almost to himself.

"She's too far gone Jack. The doctors say she has to want to get better and we both know there's little left to inspire her."

"Dammit Chase. It is not too late" Jack shouted.

Before Chase could respond, the sleepy voice of his daughter interrupted them.

"Daddy?" she said, "Why is Jack shouting?"

"It's okay honey" Chase said, lifting Angela up in his arms. "Jack's just a little upset. He went to see Chloe and it made him sad."

"I miss her" Angela said, her voice trembling.

"I know you do sweetie. We all do, but you have to remember that Chloe loves you very much and if she could be here with us then she would be. She just can't right now."

Angela nodded and rested her head on her father's shoulder, her gaze drifting towards Jack.

Jack stepped closer to her and let his fingers gently brush her hair, "Hey" he said softly, "sorry I woke you."

"S'okay" she said sleepily, her eyes fluttering shut.

"I'll take her back up" Chase said as he walked out of the room.

Jack sat at the table and allowed his mind to drift back to the first time he'd met Chloe O'Brian.

00000

"_Who are you and what do you want?" the blond woman asked as she answered the door._

"_My name is Jack Bauer, I'm looking for a Chloe O'Brian" he said with a smile, hoping to pacify the woman who he'd obviously woken._

"_I'm Chloe O'Brian" she said with a scowl._

_Great! Thought Jack, he could tell he was going to have problems winning this one over. But he'd been told she was the best so it was worth a try._

"_I'm from CTU Los Angeles" Jack said, trying not to laugh at the expression on her face, she really did have a very expressive face._

"_I know where you're from and I know who you are" she said impatiently, "now what do you want?"_

_He frowned at her in confusion and she sighed in response._

"_I'm good at finding out things" she said simply, "I'd heard about things that had been happening in LA and I did some research, I recognise you from the picture in your file."_

"_You've accessed my file?" Jack asked, astounded._

"_Um, well . . . . Oh crap, I didn't mean to tell you that" she said, shifting uncomfortably, "I know I'm not supposed to, but . . . ."_

"_How did a protocol manager have access to my file?" Jack asked, confusion marring his features._

"_I didn't exactly have access" the woman said with a sigh, realising the best way out of this was to be honest, "I kind of hacked into CTU LA's mainframe and accessed it that way."_

"_You . . .? You hacked in?" he asked, incredulous._

"_Yeah" she said, feeling uncomfortable as she saw the colour rise in his cheeks, "don't worry though; it's not that easy to do."_

"_I'd expect it to be damned impossible to do" Jack said with a growl._

_Chloe crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Anyway, you still haven't told me what you want" she said impatiently._

_Jack Bauer shook his head as though to clear his thoughts. "I came to offer you a job"._

00000

"You need to tell me everything" Jack demanded as Chase returned. Jack had turned up in search of Chloe earlier that morning, he hadn't heard from her in months and was concerned. He now knew he had reason to be concerned.

Chase sat opposite him, he didn't know where to start, he'd already told Jack about the shooting and how Chloe had been unresponsive since her surgery. At first they'd thought the cause of her catatonia was physiological but as her condition stabilised they knew it ran deeper than that.

"When did you last talk to her?" Chase asked eventually.

"I haven't spoken to her in over a year, a couple of months after Morris was killed" Jack said, "she emailed me every couple of months but they stopped six months ago".

"Did she tell you how Morris died?"

"She said he was killed in a traffic accident".

Chase nodded, smiling softly. Typical Chloe, she would do anything to protect Jack.

Seeing the expression on Chase's face, Jack sighed. "It wasn't a traffic accident was it?" he growled.

Chase shook his head. "No, he and Chloe were taken hostage"

Jack's head snapped up suddenly "He AND Chloe?" he asked, the anger clear in his tone. "Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?"

"We didn't know where you were Jack. Chloe did, but she wouldn't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"Because that's why they were taken Jack; Fayed's men were looking for you. They tortured Morris in an attempt to get Chloe to give you up. But she wouldn't."

Jack stared at Chase in shock, his jaw slackened and his eyes unblinking. "Oh my god, so they killed him. In front of her?"

Chase nodded.

00000

_It had been two months since Jack had gone and she missed him, really missed him. Morris was there, offering support, he'd become a good friend. He'd been a terrible boyfriend and an even worse husband but he was the best friend she had at the moment. This was why Chloe was going to meet him at 3 a.m. despite having to be at work in 3 hours. She'd gotten a phone call from his AA sponsor, telling her that he was struggling after everything that had happened and that he wanted to see her._

_Chloe pulled up at Morris' apartment and got out of the car. As she walked up the path she was surprised to see a man she didn't recognise standing in the doorway. _

"_Hi, I'm Paul" he said, "I'm Morris' new sponsor"._

_Chloe nodded, "how's he doing?"_

"_Not so good, but he'll be glad to see you" Paul said, stepping back so she could enter the apartment._

_She jumped as the door slammed behind her and stared in alarm as she saw Paul lock the door and turn back towards her, a gun in his hand._

"_What the hell is going on?" she asked, glaring at him._

"_Through there" Paul said, indicating the kitchen at the end of the hall._

_Chloe moved along the hall, barely steps in front of him. She faltered slightly, dropping back intentionally trying to think of a way to disarm the man. _

"_Keep moving" he ordered, grabbing her by her hair and dragging her with him. She felt tears sting her eyes in reaction to the pain of her hair being pulled from her head._

_As she was forced into the kitchen the first thing she saw was Morris, sitting in a chair all bloodied and bruised._

"_Oh Morris" she said, feeling scared now._

"_Its okay love" he said, looking at her unblinking. "Don't tell them anything"._

_His words were met with a blow to the head._

_They had tortured him for three hours in front of her. She'd begged them to stop but she'd refused to tell them where Jack was. It was hard, but it was the right thing to do, if she gave into them then they'd all be dead and god only knows what bigger, more catastrophic event would lay ahead if they got what they wanted. _

_Eventually they'd gotten frustrated and, in an attempt to make her finally break they'd held a gun to Morris' head and had given her ten seconds to tell them what they wanted. She'd looked into his eyes and as the seconds counted down his expression had gone from partial resignation to outright fear. Chloe felt the tears stream down her face as she mouthed "I'm sorry" to him just as the shot rang out. They'd turned on her then, hitting and kicking her until she'd curled up into the foetal position._

_She'd become resigned to her own pending death just as a CTU tac team burst through the doors. Unbeknown to Chloe, Bill Buchanon had ordered a level three surveillance of all high profile agents activities due to increased chatter identified through CTU intelligence officers. It had taken a few hours for CTU to be alerted to Chloe's unusual activity but once they had, Bill ordered a full raid, suspecting that Chloe had been the target. It had been too late to save Morris._

_Chloe had been hospitalised for a week, it was during this time she found out she was pregnant. By some miracle, despite the beating the baby and Chloe had survived the ordeal. When she left the hospital she felt hope flare for the future, it was then that she decided on a name for the baby. Hope. _

00000

Chloe was trapped and she couldn't find her way back. She didn't even know why she was trapped, but she knew that they all thought there was nothing left of her. She knew who they all were; she just couldn't get them to see her, except for Jack.

When she'd first heard his voice she thought she was imagining it, but as she felt his hands stroking her hair she realised he was real. She wanted to shout out to him, tell him to get away from there, to get away from her. But she couldn't move, couldn't say anything.

She'd known he would come in search of her eventually, that he would be worried. But she knew this was what they wanted. They would finally have Jack Bauer where they wanted him and she couldn't let that happen. It had taken her a long time to figure it all out, at first believing what they were telling Chase and Bill about her being emotionally shut down. She'd guessed she wasn't even aware of it.

But eventually she figured that the only thing keeping her like this was the drugs they were giving her. Which was why she'd figured out a way of faking her unresponsiveness in the hope that they'd reduce the dose, and they had, she'd figured they wouldn't want her completely unresponsive and she was right. They just wanted her unable to communicate with the outside world, but they wanted her conscious. As time went on she felt herself growing stronger, her muscles were still weak and she couldn't move much, but she had come to formulate words, nothing above a whisper in case they caught her, but she knew she'd be able to warn him.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack walked into CTU for the first time in a year and a half. He hesitated a moment in the doorway. He'd done this so many times before, had walked back into this building that had taken so much from him. And always he looked towards her station; a habit even now he couldn't break. He sighed as he felt an uneasiness engulf him. Something wasn't right, which was why he'd come to see Bill Buchanan for help.

Just then he looked up towards the director's office and saw Bill looking down onto the bullpen. He gestured for Jack to go up. He took the stairs two at a time, just like he always had.

"Jack" Bill said with warmth, "it's good to see you."

Jack took the proffered hand and nodded. "You too Bill."

"So, have you seen her?"

"Yeah, I've seen her."

"And?"

"Something's not right, that's why . . . ."

"Jack" Bill interrupted, "I know this is difficult, but we all have to accept it. After everything she's been through . . . . ."

"I will not just accept it Bill. If it was me lying there Chloe would do everything she could to get me out. I can't just leave her."

"Jack" Bill said, taking on a conciliatory tone, "Chloe has always had a vulnerable edge to her, you know that. I appreciate that she comes across as being strong, but deep down we all know that she's suffered a degree of damage in the past, irrespective of what's happened to her in the past couple of years."

"Bill" Jack said, his expression reflecting his anger at the older man's words. "Please don't try and convince me about Chloe's character, I know her better than anyone and I'm telling you this isn't right. I don't expect you to believe me. All I want, all I need is access to her medical file, if there's anything there I'll find it."

Bill sighed, "I'm sorry Jack, it's just we've all been living with this for the past few months. At some point you have to accept the inevitable otherwise it will destroy you."

Jack saw the raw emotion in Bill's face, Jack knew he was fond of Chloe and that this must be affecting him in the same way that it was affecting Chase. "It's okay Bill, but please . . . . please let me see her file."

"Of course Jack" Bill said picking up the phone and calling medical to order that Jack be allowed access to Chloe's records.

00000

Jack had gone through Chloe's file from the point that she was taken to the emergency room with a gun shot wound. The file described her as being unconscious and in haemorrhagic shock. She'd been in surgery for six hours but had recovered well. She'd been taken out of her drug induced coma three days later and had been conscious by day four. Her records described her as distant and unresponsive beyond necessary interactions. There had been no improvement in anything other than her physiological recovery and then, by day seven she was completely withdrawn.

Jack sighed, there was nothing there that would give him any answers. He'd done searches on all her medication and medical procedures and had come up with nothing. She was transferred to the clinic three weeks after the shooting and had been there ever since. Jack's eyes drifted to her clinic records but caught himself quickly as something niggled in the back of his mind. And then it came to him, she hadn't been transferred straight to the Bellview clinic, she'd initially spent three days at a government facility out of town.

Jack looked at the transfer order and stopped in shock when he saw that it had been signed off by Bill Buchanan at the request of Chloe's father. Jack sat back in his seat and frowned at the computer screen then, pushing his chair back and standing, he ran back up the stairs to Bill's office.

00000

_Jack sighed audibly, prompting Tony to look up at him._

"_What is it?" Tony asked._

"_Chloe"_

"_What about her?"_

"_She's pissing everyone off"_

"_She sure is" Tony said with a smile, "but she's the best at what she does"_

"_Yeah" Jack said, frowning as he looked out over the bullpen, "but today she is worse than usual"._

"_That's not possible" Tony said with a grin, he couldn't even imagine that._

"_I'm going to have to talk to her" Jack said._

"_Good luck with that" Tony said, chuckling to himself as Jack called Chloe's station. "I'll leave you to it"._

"_Thanks" Jack said, looking daggers at Tony.._

"_What?" Chloe barked into the phone._

_Jack winced. "I need to see you"._

"_Not now!" Chloe said, hanging up the phone._

_Jack sat looking at the receiver as though it had just slapped him across the back of the head. Jack Bauer wasn't used to being spoken to like that. He walked to the window and watched Chloe at her station. He saw her bashing away at her keyboard, a frown of concentration on her face. Just as he was about to look away and walk down there he saw her hesitate. Her face fell into her hands and she seemed to be struggling to control her emotions. _

_He picked up the phone again and called her again. "Chloe, I need to see you and I need to see you now. That's an order." He heard her sigh heavily then she hung up the phone._

_Seconds later she was entering his office. "What's this about Jack? We're really backed up down there" she glared at him with such force he was almost lost for words. Almost, but not quite._

"_What's wrong?" he asked calmly._

_She looked at him in shock. "What? . . . . I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_Yes you do. What's wrong?"_

"_I . . . I . . . ." She blinked back the tears that had sprung to her eyes, refusing to let herself lose it in front of him. "Nothing" she said with a scowl. _

"_Go home" he said, turning away from her and back to his screen._

"_What?" she shrieked._

"_I said, go home Chloe" he said, not looking at her. _

"_I . . . I don't understand, what did I do?" she asked, her voice breaking._

_Jack sighed and pushed himself away from his desk. He stood and walked over to her. Chloe took a step back from him and he stopped._

"_Chloe" he said gently, "I can see that something's the matter and it's affecting your work. If you can't or won't tell me what it is then I have no choice but to send you home."_

"_Fine" she said, turning on her heel._

"_Stop"._

_She stopped, but she didn't turn back. "Chloe, tell me what it is and I might be able to help."_

_She kept her head bowed. She wanted to walk away but as she looked over the crowded bullpen she realised she had two choices; stay with Jack or risk the scrutiny of the whole of CTU._

"_You can't help, nobody can. It's fine though, I'll deal with it. I'll be fine by tomorrow."_

_She felt his hands on her shoulders as he turned her around to face him, but still she looked at the floor._

"_Tell me" he said gently._

_She looked at him then, as hard as it was for her she looked at him. And then for the first time since she was six years old Chloe O'Brian cried in front of another person. He pulled her against him and held her until her tears subsided. Eventually she told him that her father had died the night before. _

00000

"Bill, Chloe's father died over four years ago" Jack said.

"Not according to her file Jack" Bill said, frowning at the younger man.

"Well her file is wrong then" Jack said bitingly.

Bill moved over to his computer and brought up Chloe O'Brian's personal file. He entered the next of kin section then stood back, pointing to the screen so Jack could see what was in it. There was no record of the death of her father, in fact her father was listed as very much alive and living in Baltimore. Jack knew for certain that it had been doctored; he explained to Bill how he'd inputted the information about Chloe's father himself four years ago because she hadn't wanted anyone else to know and be sympathetic towards her.

"I'll get a team on it" Bill said softly, his expression concerned.

"We need to get her out of there Bill".

00000

Chloe sighed inwardly with relief when Jack walked into her room. It had been ten hours since her last dose of medication and she could feel the tone returning to her muscles and she knew this would be her best opportunity to warn him.

He walked over to the mattress and sat beside her on the floor, his hand fluttering towards hers a little uncertainly. He jumped when he felt her return his grip, her fingers were not strong but he'd felt the movement nonetheless.

"Chloe?" he asked softly, looking into her face intently.

He saw her mouth moving slightly and angled his body so he could lean in closer to her. She felt his hand move to her hair as his fingers gently rubbed in soothing circles at her temple. Chloe was struggling to communicate with him, she knew she couldn't say much so what she did say had to count, had to be enough for him to understand that he needed to get away.

Before she could speak though he had moved to whisper against her ear.

"I'm getting you out of here" he said softly.

"No" she whispered back, the word as much a surprise to her as it was to him. "You go" she finished.

He flinched, hearing the words but not quite understanding.

"You . . . ." she said, her mouth dry and unresponsive for the most part, she sighed in frustration before reaching her fingers to tug on his sleeve. "They. Want. You"

Jack sat back on his heels suddenly comprehending what she was saying. His mind working overtime, he thought about what Chase had told him about Morris' death and what they'd put Chloe through.

Chloe could see his thoughts registering in his expression, but she knew he'd understood her.

"Chase"

At the sound of her friends name on his lips Chloe frowned in confusion, then her gaze flicked to his ear and she saw he was wearing a comm. unit.

"Chase, we're ready to go. Moving out now."

He leaned in and lifted Chloe from her resting spot on the floor. "I told you I'm getting you out of here" Jack said, pulling her closer against him.

Jack walked to the door, seeming to find the weight of her effortless. He looked onto the corridor, shifting her in his arms slightly.

"All clear Chase" he said quietly.

With that he took the left exit from the corridor towards a back stairwell. They moved down to the next floor quickly but before they could go any further an alarm sounded and they heard the rapid flurry of running footsteps coming up from the basement.

"Dammit" Jack said in frustration, "Chase, they're onto us" he whispered.

Chloe looked at him, her eyes pleading with him.

"No" he said simply, "I will not leave you Chloe, we're getting you out of here" he said softly, his eyes holding a promise that she knew he would do everything in his power to see through.


	4. Chapter 4

_He had been back from China for a few hours and had only been into CTU once, the only glimmer of hope in a very dark day being when his eyes fell on her, standing back uncertainly but her eyes seeking him out._

_Now here he was thinking of that moment as he hid behind the low wall, dodging the hail of bullets coming his way. Buchanan had told him help was on its way but he didn't think he'd hold out that long. She was the one person who always had his back, the one person without an agenda of her own. She would do anything as long as she thought it was the right thing to do. She was the same as him._

_It was her voice that urged him on, pleaded with him not to give up. In the end he'd had no choice but to switch the comm. unit off. He couldn't bear to listen to her, he'd made his mind up; he was going in even though he knew he wouldn't be coming out alive. But he had come out alive, rescued by a group of interagency operatives who had been nearby on a training exercise. As soon as he'd seen them he knew that she'd sent them._

_As he walked back into CTU for the second time she was nowhere to be seen. He eventually found her hiding out in tech 1. As he moved towards her she spun on her heel and launched herself at him. She'd kicked and punched him, ignoring the wounds to his flesh. And he'd taken it, had known he was deserving of her anger. And when she collapsed in his arms he'd held her, stroking her hair and whispering his apology over and over again. _

_Chloe O'Brian had always looked out for him, had done whatever was necessary to help him. _

00000

Jack pushed his way through the door that led to a second stairwell. Chase was waiting for them in the basement. Bill had sent a team to the clinic when Jack first raised the alarm that there were armed guards looking for them but it would be another ten minutes before they got there.

"Leave me" Chloe urged, her voice rasping.

"No" he said as he looked down the stairwell, shifting her in his arms.

Just then there was a sudden movement behind them. Jack spun around quickly, his gun raised and shielding Chloe a best he could. The man didn't stand a chance as the bullet pierced his flesh and he fell to the ground.

Jack tore along the first floor corridor and headed for a closet at the end. Once inside he placed Chloe on the floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked urgently, his hands on her face.

Still unable to move much Chloe blinked. "Yes" she croaked.

Jack moved to look through the crack in the door.

"Chase, they're closing in on us, I can see four of them on this floor" he said in a ragged whisper. "Okay, I'll take out these four and meet you on the south side of the clinic" he added.

He turned back to Chloe, obviously perplexed as to what to do with her. He knelt down next to her, taking her face in his hands again.

"I am not leaving you but I need to get rid of them" he said, fear evident in his expression.

Chloe wanted to smile at him, to give him reassurance that she'd be fine. Even at the best of times a Chloe O'Brian smile tended to come out as a grimace, but now with her facial muscles refusing to respond to the command from her brain she didn't have a clue what it came out like. Jack however seemed satisfied with the look she gave him as he moved away towards the door.

Chloe felt gripped by panic as she heard the continued gunfire outside the door. She wasn't used to sitting back and not being part of the take down, but she had no choice but to wait it out. After a few minutes there was nothing but silence ahead of her, she tried to shift her body but it wouldn't comply. Other than a slight movement in her fingers and her ability to blink and speak a little, she was still locked inside of herself. The difference was that she now had hope, she knew that between them Jack and Chase would get her out of here.

She held her breath as the door swung open and breathed an internal sigh of relief as she saw Chase standing before her.

"Chloe . . . ." he didn't get any further as his face crumpled and he fell to the floor.

Chloe cried out in her own mind as she saw the tall, dark man who had hit Chase with the butt of the gun.

"Well, well Ms O'Brian, we finally meet" he said, his voice heavy with a Middle Eastern accent.

Chloe couldn't stop the flicker of fear in her eyes as he kneeled down before her, his face close to hers.

"I see that you've been playing us Ms O'Brian" he said menacingly, "it will be over soon, Jack Bauer is surrounded. You will both be dead within the hour."

00000

"_Chloe I can't get the satellite imagery up on my screen" a frustrated Jack Bauer barked down the phone._

"_Have you tried opening the matrix grid like I told you?" she asked with a sigh._

"_Dammit, haven't you fixed that yet?" he asked, slamming the phone down._

_Uh no Jack, she thought to herself. I've been too busy covering your ass. She scowled up at him, her daggered look capable of penetrating the glass walls of his office. She saw him glance at her and hesitate a moment before moving away from the door and going back to his desk._

_Jack sighed as he sat heavily in his chair. He wished he could stop taking his bad mood out on her, she didn't deserve it. You tend to hurt those closest to you when you're hurt he thought to himself. Shit! When did that happen? When did he start thinking of Chloe O'Brian as someone he was close to?_

_Dammit! He thought to himself. I can't let this happen._

00000

Chloe had never willed anyone to move so much in her life. She stared at Chase's inert figure on the floor and wished he would come around and sort this jerk out. Then again, at least if he was unconscious the guy had no reason to just shoot him.

She felt herself being lifted up into the stranger's arms and internally she shrank away from him. She hated being so powerless. She wasn't particularly worried about what they would do to her, whatever it was it couldn't be worse than they'd already done. If she took this man at his word it would all be over soon anyway.

She was carried past the dead men lying on the floor, she cringed a little when she saw the body of a young nurse lying with them. Where the hell was Jack?

She heard the crackle of a two way radio, the voice saying they had checked out all corridors and there was as yet no sign of Bauer. She sighed with relief. That meant they hadn't got him. Yet.

00000

Jack was breathing hard, having chased one of the guards up ten flights of stairs. Once he'd caught him he'd managed to find out how many of them there were. Jack had counted six that had been eliminated, that left another four.

"Chase" he urged "Chase come in". Nothing.

Jack felt alarmed. He'd sent Chase back to Chloe, believing the area she was in was now clear. Obviously he'd been wrong.

"Jack" Bill's voice came over the comm.

"Yeah"

"The tac teams are two minutes away. Have you got Chase and Chloe with you?"

"No" Jack said in frustration, "I think Chase must be down, I'm going back down to find Chloe now" he said, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Jack wait for the team" Bill shouted.

"I can't" Jack said simply before cutting his former boss off.

He felt guilt wash over him. He'd promised he wouldn't leave her but he'd done just that. He knew he could trust Chase to look after her but whatever had happened Chase had to be incapacitated somewhere.

00000

Chloe realised she was being carried up to the roof space, the stairs becoming narrower as they walked towards the external exit. A cool blast of air chilled her skin, the first exposure to natural air she'd had in six months. Six months, just thinking about that time reminded her of her little girl. She felt tears sting her eyes. She'd grieved for hope in isolation for six whole months. She'd eventually had to shut her mind off to it, instead focusing on a way to help Jack. And look at the mess she'd made of that.

She felt panic wash over her as she was taken towards the waiting helicopter, the breeze from the blades bringing goose bumps to her exposed flesh. She was laid non too gently on the floor of the chopper as the pilot and two other men clambered into the front. The man who had carried her was talking into the radio but she couldn't hear what he was saying.

They appeared to be waiting for a fourth man and she heard the mention of setting off explosives as soon as they were clear. Shock engulfed her as she realised they intended to blow up the clinic with everyone, including Jack and Chase inside. Why then were they taking her with them?

Just then a fourth man appeared at the top of the stairs, his breathing laboured from running. Chloe wished there was a way she could stop them but her movements were still weak. She looked around her, searching for a way out of this. She saw a group of wires below where she was lying. She didn't know much about helicopter technology but she knew enough to understand if she could just wrench them apart it would be impossible for them to take off. She willed her muscles to move.

She reached out towards the wires, her hands moving with greater ease than she'd thought possible. Her fingers were still stiff but she was able to reach the wires. She saw they were held together by a metal plate and she realised all she needed to do was release the plate. Luck seemed to be on her side as she saw that the screws holding the plate together were already loose.

She used her forefinger and thumb to release the first screw, it came away easily. She was thankful that this task required precision rather than brute force, precision was what she was good at. As the fourth man reached the helicopter she had released all bar the final screw. It was a little tighter than the others but Chloe's determination won out.

She heard the increased whirring of the blades as she realised they were picking up speed for take off. Then, just as they were set to go the blades cut out at the same time as Chloe pulled the metal plate from the wires. She gave an inward sigh of relief at the same time as she heard the sound of Jack's voice shouting at the men to drop their weapons.

The next thing she knew she was being dragged from the back of the chopper, an arm clamped around her waist, her flaccid legs trailing behind her body.

"Damn you, you bitch" her captor bit out, "What did you do? What did you do?" he shouted, his anger reverberating through him.

He dropped her to the ground and pulled her head up by yanking her hair with his fist, his gun held to her face.

"You will die for what you've done" he said simply.

Chloe resigned herself to death, thinking it would be a blessing really. She saw his finger twitch against the trigger but then she heard a distant shot ring out and felt the warmth of his blood fall upon her as he collapsed on top of her.

She couldn't breath, the weight of him constricting her weakened muscles further. She could feel consciousness slipping away as the pounding of feet raced towards her. And then he was being lifted away from her and arms were lifting her from the ground.

"Oh god Chloe, please be okay" she heard Chase calling to her urgently, his voice breaking with emotion.

She opened her eyes and looked at him and she actually managed to roll her eyes, the first time she'd been able to do that in months.

"S'okay Chase" she whispered as he sank to the ground with her cradled against him.

She felt a second pair of warm hands reach for her, pulling her away from Chase who was looking decidedly pale and shaky. A medic moved towards him as he fell back against the ground. Chloe whimpered in fear.

"It's okay Chloe, it's just a concussion, he took a pretty nasty blow to the head. He'll be fine" Jack said lifting her onto the waiting gurney.

His hands fell to her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheekbones. "It's going to be fine Chloe. Everything's going to be fine" he whispered assuredly.

She felt her eyes flutter closed. In this case he was right; it was going to be fine. But for Chloe O'Brian she didn't think anything would ever be right in her world again.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack sat in a corner in Medical waiting for the doctor to finish examining Chloe. Chase had been sent home, his head injury nothing too serious. Jack sighed in frustration that he hadn't been allowed to see Chloe for the past few hours, she was undergoing numerous tests to determine what they had done to her.

Bill Buchanon walked back into the room just as the Doctor approached Jack.

"How is she?" Jack asked, concern marring his expression.

"She's been heavily medicated for the past months so it will take some time for her to fully recover but she had regained some movement in her limbs and is able to talk fully now."

"Is there any permanent damage?" Bill asked, looking worried.

"No" the doctor said with a smile, "she will need a few weeks rehabilitation but then she should be free to go home."

Just then, there was the sound of a whimper followed by a crashing sound from behind the curtain. Jack bolted to Chloe's side, seeing a shocked looking nurse picking up instruments from the floor. Chloe was curled into a tight ball, looking terrified.

"Hey" Jack said, "Its okay". He moved to the other side of the hospital bed and took hold of her hand.

The doctor moved in front of Chloe. "It's okay; she was just going to give you something to help you sleep."

"No" Chloe said with a scowl.

"Don't you think she's been medicated enough? Why the hell does she need any more?" Jack bit out angrily.

"Her vitals were spiking and she seemed distressed" the doctor said by way of explanation.

Jack's hand was smoothing Chloe's hair in a soothing gesture. "She seems even more distressed now" he growled.

"Doc, can we leave it for now?" Bill asked calmly.

The doctor nodded and followed the nurse out of the cubicle.

"I'll give you a few minutes" Bill said, nodding towards Jack before leaving them.

Chloe looked at Jack, her eyes full of anguish. "I'm sorry" she said quietly, her voice still rasping.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay" he said, taking hold of her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"Is it?" she asked, her eyes darting away from him.

"Eventually" he said softly.

Just then the doctor came back into the cubicle, holding a file in his hand.

"Sorry to interrupt" he said, "I just thought I'd bring you some information on rehabilitation clinics. There are several you can choose from" he said, placing the brochures on the bed next to Chloe.

Jack saw the pain that flitted across her expression before she had a chance to hide it.

"That won't be necessary, Chloe won't be going to a clinic"

The doctor looked at him with surprise, "But . . ."

"I said that won't be necessary. Chloe is coming with me" Jack said, his hand squeezing her arm as she would have protested.

The doctor shrugged, turning away from them.

"You don't have to do that Jack" Chloe said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Yes I do" he said, looking her in the eye, "What's more, I want to do it. Now don't argue with me."

00000

"_Dammit Chloe, just do it"_

_Chloe bit her lip in order to hold back the retort that was on the tip of her tongue. She calmed her breathing and told herself that he was entitled to be mad. Just not at her._

_Remembering what the school psychologist had told her when her mother insisted she needed therapy when she was a teenager, she decided to do the opposite of what she really wanted to do. She smiled at him. A bright, beaming smile._

_Jack Bauer frowned at her, his frown turning into a scowl as he walked into the corner of her desk as he started to move away. Chloe couldn't help the smirk that came to her face as she realised she'd succeeded in disarming him. She chuckled lightly as he righted himself and stormed off in the direction of field ops. _

00000

"Are you ready?" Jack asked her.

"As I'll ever be" she said with a frown, trying to move to the edge of the bed. She sighed in frustration as her body refused to cooperate.

"I'll get your chair" he said, smiling inwardly at her impatience.

He returned a few moments later and helped her into the chair. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater that were too big for her; they looked like they should belong to someone else. But they didn't, they were hers but she had lost so much weight in the last few months.

They made their way to the roof where a helicopter was waiting to take them to a secure location. Bill hadn't wanted to take any chances that the terrorists were still after them, they were fairly certain that they were all dead but were taking precautions until clean up was complete.

"Where's Chase?" Chloe asked anxiously.

"Don't worry" Jack said, patting her arm reassuringly. "He and Angela are being taken to a safe house. We're not taking any chances."

Chloe sighed with relief, if she and Jack were considered to be at risk then so must Chase and Angela.

The flight was short, no more than twenty minutes. They landed in a tree dense area in the hills then were driven through a winding dirt track. Chloe allowed herself a small smile as she thought they may be heading for a tin shack outside of the city with no electricity or running water.

Thirty minutes later they were pulling up outside a set of iron gates that led to a large estate. They passed the main house and drove another mile through the grounds until they reached a small, isolated cottage sitting within it's own land space.

"What is this place?" Chloe asked.

"It's a Presidential retreat; the cottage is normally only used by the President's staff when he is in residence at the main house".

"We're staying at the Presidential retreat?" Chloe asked her eyes wide with surprise.

"We are" he said with a smile, "I spoke with Wayne Palmer and he offered when I told him we needed somewhere secure for a few days. We won't get much more secure than this."

00000

_It had only happened once but once was enough for Chloe to fall pregnant._

_They'd spent the day at the beach, had relaxed in a way usually reserved for normal citizens. Jack had dropped her at her apartment, had walked her to the door. Chloe, in a moment of uncharacteristic open affection had flung her arms around his neck and held him tight. He'd wrapped his arms around her, his face buried in her neck for a moment. _

_He hadn't known what had possessed him to press his mouth against the soft skin covering her pulse point but at the warm, fluttering sensation Chloe had sighed deeply. They'd both pulled apart as though burned._

_Their eyes locked and an indeterminable silence cut through the night air. And then they both moved, drawn to the other until their mouths found each other in a drawn out passionate embrace that had them moving inside the apartment and tearing at each other's clothes. _

_Their lovemaking was fast, both of them fuelled by a need greater than either understood at the time. When it was over he collapsed next to her and pulled her into him. There was no need for explanation or apology but there was an unspoken pact between the two of them. They both knew at that time that he would soon be gone, his need to break the cycle of destruction in his life the thing that would keep him from the one person who was good in it. _

_He was long gone by the time Chloe found out she was pregnant with his child._

00000

The muscles in Chloe's arms were aching, but she insisted on unpacking her own bag as much as possible. Chase had kept her apartment on for her in the hope that she would eventually get her life back. He'd packed the bag for her and had it delivered to CTU before he and Angela left for the safe house.

Chloe sat in the wheelchair by the side of the bed and unzipped the suitcase. She stopped in shock as she saw what was sitting on top of her clothes. She felt tears sting her eyes as she lifted the photograph out and examined the image in front of her. Hope had looked so much like her father, her bright blue eyes and blond hair combined with the easy smile making everyone who met her fall a little bit in love. Exactly like her father.

Chloe allowed her grief to wash over her, for the first time in six months she was able to cry properly for the baby she'd had for such a very short time but felt that she had loved forever. Her sobs came in rasping, breathless gasps as she held the picture close to her chest.

She didn't hear him come into the room, the first she knew of his presence was when he gently lifted her from the chair and laid her on the bed, lying with her and holding her close to him. He stroked the back of her head as it rested against his shoulder. He said nothing, instead letting her cry until she was ready to stop.

Eventually her breathing settled and she lifted her head from him, her eyes still pained. She closed them briefly as she saw her pain reflected in his expression; saw the tracks of his own tears on his face.

"Oh god" she said, her hands reaching for his face. "I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry"

"Its okay" he said simply, moving his mouth to gently kiss the fingers that were stroking his cheek.

"She looked so much like you" she said softly.

He nodded, "Just like Kim".

"So you knew?"

"As soon as Chase showed me her picture" he said, pulling her closer towards him. "Why didn't you let me know when you found out you were pregnant? I would have come back you know".

His gaze was almost accusatory, but not quite, deep in his heart he already knew the answer to his question.

"At first I didn't want to because I knew you needed time, you needed to decide what you wanted. Then when I knew that Fayed's men were still looking for you I just wanted you to be safe".

He nodded. "I would have come back Chloe, you know that don't you?" he asked gently.

"I wanted you to come back because you were ready" she said softly, "I knew you would eventually, I knew you would come back to me."

Jack allowed himself a fleeting, sad smile. She was right; he would have come back for her. And he had known she would be waiting for him.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been almost a week since they'd arrived at the retreat when Bill contacted them to give them the all clear. Relief was mixed with sadness at what they'd been through to get here.

By now Chloe was up and about. For the first couple of days Jack had done pretty much everything for her but now she was walking, albeit slowly and she was beginning to recover physically. She'd spent most of the week in tears, crying at the slightest thing; part in frustration, part with grief for what she had lost.

"You ready?" he asked softly, standing in the bedroom doorway, quietly watching her as she packed the last of her things.

"As I'll ever be" she said with a frown.

He smiled as he moved towards her, taking her face in his hands and gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. He sighed softly as she leaned into him.

"Thank you" she whispered.

"For what?"

"For saving me" she said. They both knew she wasn't just talking about getting her out of the clinic.

"That's what we do Chloe" he said, kissing her briefly on the mouth, "we save each other."

00000

The car taking them back to the city drove slowly through the leafy suburbs. Chloe frowned as she looked out of the window to see that they were going in the opposite direction from her apartment.

"Where are we going?"

"Unfinished business" Jack said simply, squeezing her hand and ignoring the scowl that was firmly planted on her face.

A few moments later and Chloe knew exactly where she was.

"I don't think I can . . . ."

"Shh" he said gently, "we're doing this together".

The car pulled up on a tree covered verge and Jack got out, moving around to open her door and take hold of her hand to steady her as she stumbled a little on legs that were still not used to holding her up.

"Jack" she whispered, suddenly nervous.

"It's okay, we have to do this" he answered.

Chloe nodded slowly, her lip curled back over her teeth and her brows drawing together in an expression that was all too familiar to him. The pain behind her eyes was new, it was a pain he'd only seen in the past week, something that he would do anything never to see again.

Today was the beginning of her healing; the day for new beginnings and a day for Hope.

They rounded the corner and moved to a section of the cemetery that was reserved for children. There were bright colours; flowers, windmills, an assortment of coloured marble stones littering the ground.

Chloe hesitated a moment but drew strength from his presence at her side. They continued to walk down the path, drawn together by shared grief for one so small, Their Hope.

They came across a headstone surrounded by flowers that were brighter than their mood permitted, for a moment; a moment where despair threatened to overwhelm and where hope was the last thing either of them felt.

Our Hope

"And as, in sparkling majesty, a star  
Gilds the bright summit of some gloomy cloud;  
Brightening the half veil'd face of heaven afar:  
So, when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud,  
Sweet Hope, celestial influence round me shed,  
Waving thy silver pinions o'er my head!"

They stood surrounded by their own grief, two people who had faced sacrifices that very few could imagine. Their eyes took in the words of Keats and their hearts took in the essence of their child who had been taken from them so cruelly.

The tiny, racking sobs that came from her shook him out of his own thoughts, thoughts of his child he was yet to meet.

Their eyes met, his shrouded in a dark, brooding cloud that she had seen capturing him before today; hers were full of sorrow and a guilt that gripped her very being.

"I'm sorry Jack, I'm so sorry you didn't get to know her" she said, reaching out her hand for his.

"I know" he said simply, pulling her towards him, encircling her in his warm embrace.

They stood like that for close to thirty minutes, drawing comfort from each other. When she finally pulled away from him she knelt down at the foot of the headstone.

"I love you Hope" she said softly, "I will always love you."

Jack knelt down beside her and captured her face in his hands. "And _I_ Chloe O'Brian will always love _you_."

Her watery smile was soft as she reached her lips to his, kissing him gently. When they pulled back from each other a movement caught Chloe's attention. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and stood, watching the two people approaching them from the road.

"Chloe" the little girl shouted out to her and, breaking free from her father's grasp she ran to the only mother she'd ever known.

"Angie" Chloe whispered, capturing the little girl who caught her off balance as she launched herself at her.

Jack put his hands out to steady them just as Chase approached from the other side, enveloping the pair in a hug that not only steadied but also conveyed how much he'd missed her.

"Chloe" he said, emotion choking him, "god darlin' I missed you so much."

"I missed you too Chase" she said simply, her hand soothing him with slow circles rubbed at his back.

Eventually they separated but it was obvious Chase was reluctant to let go.

"Let's go home" he said softly as he extricated Angela from around her waist.

They began to move towards the cars when Chloe turned back and looked at the man she loved.

"Come with me?" she asked, hesitating only for a moment.

"Always" he said softly, "I will always be with you". He took the hand she held out to him and they walked to their new beginning with hope at their side.


End file.
